Hay meadows and grasslands of Valcuvia Valley (Varese, Italy) : First observations

Changing dynamics in land use are one of the most interesting processes in environmental monitoring referring to urbanisation processes and intensive agriculture diffusion. These factors usually cause alterations, environmental degradation and neglect. In order to fight these dynamics, it is necessary to devise environmental and agriculture politics based on an up-to-date knowledge of environmental sectors. In hill, piedmont and mountain areas, these processes are generally due to neglect phenomena, an uncalibrated management, some belated and uneffective interventions and the agriculture land attrition. In agriculture sector, the most suffering sectors seem to be the hay meadows and the grasslands. They are always been representing the cornerstone of the mountain agriculture economy but today it seems they are addressed to a strong quali-quantitative contraction. In this work, we aim at dealing this problem and, in particular, to analyse by different methods the hay meadows and the grasslands of Valcuvia valley. We deepened the general characteristics of the study area, recovering the historical and actual cartography and organising it in a GIS system in order to integrate the territorial, the geomorphological, the lithological, the pedological and bioclimatic themes. We analysed the flora and the vegetation (by phytosociological method) of the area and in particular the Festuco-Brometea and the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea meadows. We studied the ecology and the productivity of these phytocenosis by Ellenberg's (1) and Landolt's (2) ecological indicators and by the pastoral value (3). These data are very interesting in order to have a better environmental overview. The results highlight a higher nutrient content and a better ecological condition in hay meadows than in grasslands, with a pastoral value indicating a good quality of the present species. Referring to the pastures, we highlight the critical aspects of the management typology itself. In fact, we observed a less nutrient content and a less quality of the pastoral species. We also used few cartographic techniques (diachronic analysis of land use) in order to understand the dynamics referred to land use coverage classes. In general, results show a gradual increase of woods to the detriment of arable lands and permanent fodder meadows. In the past centuries, urban areas quickly grew. This evolution, in general very common in Alpine and Apennine regions, highlights a worrying situation with a general regression of traditional agricultural systems. Pastures and grasslands halfway up the slope decreased, as the cultivated fields at the valley bottom. If on the one hand woods’ areas are increasing with an extension of the natural lands, on the other hand the loss of meadows and cultivated fields inevitably leads to a decrease of floristic and phytocenotic biodiversity. The study will continue with further analysis concerning the grassland associations and all vegetation of the valley. The aim is to draw up a map of the vegetation series in order to better understand the evolutive dynamics and to give good indications for a correct land management. 1) Pignatti S., Ellenberg H., Pietrosanti S. (1996). Ecograms fro phytosociological tables based on Ellenberg's Zeigerwarte. Ann. Bot. 54: 5-14. 2) Landolt E. (1977). Okologische Zeigerwerte zur Schweizer Flora. Ber. Geobot. Inst. ETH. 64: 64- 207, Zurich. 3) Cavallero A., Aceto P., Gorlier A., Lombardi G., Lonati M., Martinasso B., Tagliatori C. (2007). I tipi pastorali delle Alpi piemontesi. Alberto Perdisa Editore, Divisione Università.